Solid figures

A solid figure is an element that has three dimensions. They are geometrical figures that have volume and take up a place in the space.

In the teaching of the solid figures, the teacher has to remind their knowledge about figures in the plane. Maybe the teacher can combine two ways of teaching solid figures.

On the one hand, he or she can show them the figures in 3 dimension and from it go depth in the development of the figures.

On the other hand, the teacher can start asking children how to build a cylinder. In this way, the teaching of the solid figures will start from the development and go to the build of the figure.

In my opinion, the better option is to mix both ways of teaching these figures. Maybe we can start with the first way and then when they have understood the meaning of three dimension figures and how to develop it, they can use the development of the figure to build it. 

In this picture, you can see an example of how they can build a three-dimensional figure on their own.

To get an understanding of the characteristics and properties of these figures, teachers can use a huge variety of resources.

One way could be to encourage them to compare the characteristics of the figures on the plane with solid figures. 

Another option is to start finding the main characteristics of a figure by using direct observation. Moreover, in the teaching-learning process of solid geometry, it is interesting to use manipulative resources, as well as, relate the figures with quotidian objects that students see every day. And for this, it is not necessary to spend money. If the school don't have this type of three-dimensional materials, teachers can use an object from the classroom or even simple materials. 

Some resources could be the use of gummies, pasta, cylinders of toilet paper,  plasticine, clay, or any object that have different figures to study. Also, it is interesting to use the ITC in which they can make exercises and practices about the theme.

This video is an interesting resource that can be used to introduce the topic to the students. From the video, they can identify the different solid figures. Furthermore, the geometrical figures are related to the object that they have in their lives. The video is only one example of an interesting tool that can be used in class.

Geoboard

The geoboard is compounded by a board with nails that stand out the board. With it, you can use an elastic band to create different geometrical shapes. It was invented by Caleb Gattegno in 1960. In its beginning, he created the geoboard with a square tabletop with nails that formed a weave. Currently, there are different types of geoboard:

                                Orthometric                Isometric                  Circular

It is a useful didactic resource to work geometry, and it introduces geometrical concepts in a manipulative way. We can use it as an initial/motivational activity or as a synthesis activity. In the geoboard, children can build geometric shapes as well as discover the polygons, solve mathematics problems, perimeters, areas...

Another application of the geoboard could be the own fabrication by the students. It will involve them more in the activity, and they will work with more skills. 

In the following video, you can see a group of children of 4th grade of primary education. They are working with the geoboard, the geometric shapes and the coordinates. It is only one example of the variety of possibilities that gives us geoboard. We can design also a dynamic activity that challenges the students and in which the geoboard could be the way to achieve another aspect.

References and other resources: geoplano

Tangram

The manipulative resources are another type of material that also foster the learning of the geometry. Today, we are going to speak about the game Tangram, which is formed by geometric shapes.

The original Chinese puzzle tangram is an old game composed of seven pieces; they are known with the name Tans: a square, a rhomboid, a parallelogram, and five triangles. The use of the tangram allows children to learn mathematics concepts at the time it fosters their creativity, concentration level, and their analytic skills, among other benefits (Regina, 2019).

It is a manipulative resource with a didactic application for teachers and students to the recognition of geometric shapes, composition and decomposition of shapes, development of the area notion, addition and subtraction. 

Moreover, it fosters creativity, and it is a motivational aspect to let the student create their own tangrams in the art class. Therefore, it could be one element to connect different subjects and work in an interdisciplinary way. 

We can find the game in a different format: as a board game, didactic material, online game, templates, own creation, etc.

In the following video, you can get an idea of the functioning of the game. It is also an interesting video to show for students. Maybe the reproduction of the video could be the introduction to the game and it could be the first step for the children. During the video, the spectators have enough time to think where to put the figures, which is ideal to start children in the visualization and mental movement of shapes.

References:

Regina, M. (2019). Educación 3.0. Retrieved from educación tres punto cero